Coping with Stress and Mental Health

Abstract

The phenomenon of
accumulating tasks, characteristic of emerging adulthood, and especially the
rush hour, intensifies perceived stress and stimulates coping activity. The
nature and intensity of the coping strategies used
to deal with challenges can affect mental health in emerging adulthood. Winzer, Lindblad, Sorjonen,
and Lindberg (2014) regarded mental health to be a state that amounts to more
than the absence of mental illness, so in this study we examined negative and
positive aspects of mental health. The purpose of the study was to analyse the
relationship between coping strategies and mental health in emerging adulthood. Methods
The study included
390 emerging adults. Coping strategies were measured with the COPE
Questionnaire (Carver, 1997) and information on mental health was
called using the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (Brooks, Krulewicz, &
Kutcher, 2003) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen,
& Griffin, 1985).The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with maximum
likelihood (ML) estimation was used to assess the factor structure of the
variables and structural equation
modelling was used to test the hypotheses.
Results
The
data mostly confirmed the hypotheses. Avoidance
strategies turned out to be the strongest predictor of mental health,
specifically negative mental health outcomes. Problem-focused strategies were a stronger predictor of quality of
life than emotion-focused and support-seeking strategies. Emotion-focused strategies
did not predict depression. Importantly, the relationships we identified were
similar in young adults of both sexes.
Conclusion:
Coping strategies, especially avoidance strategies,
play a crucial role in mental health during emerging adulthood. Learning to
cope enables youngers during emerging adulthood to deal with difficult tasks
and challenges of this period more effectively, and minimizes their risk of
depression and increases their life satisfaction.